Joe held Fina in his arms until she calmed down. He looked up to see Jodie and Fred staring down at them with a look on concern on their faces. Fred's cheek and shoulder were still bleeding.
"Is she... okay?" Jodie asked softly.
"She'll be fine. Just... give her some space, alright?" Joe said firmly.
Jodie nodded and pulled a reluctant Fred with her. Joe laid his hand on Fina's cheek and gently tilted her face upwards. Her eyes were still wet with tears and she looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
I'm so sorry, Joe. She said in his head. I could have hurt you really badly.
Well you didn't. He responded. And I'm just grateful that you're okay.
Fina sniffled and a tear fell out of her eye. I hurt Fred. I lost all control over myself and I hurt him I'll never forgive myself for that.
Fred knows that you couldn't help it. Joe reassured her. All that matters to him is that you're okay. I hate to break it to you Fina, but I think the guy is in love with you.
Fina looked a him with small smile, but then tensed and scrambled to hide behind him. Joe looked up and noticed Natai walking towards them timidly. Joe glared at him and stood up, pulling Fina to her feet as well.
"What do you want now?" Joe said angrily.
"Forgive us, we did not mean to harm one of your own, Warp Wizard." Natai bowed to him.
Joe frowned. "Okay, so technically speaking I'm not the Warp Wizard yet, but how did you know that?"
Natai bowed and offered him a small smile. "The magic of the Warp Wizard is purer than any other time magic. Anyone who has ever felt it will know it anywhere."
Joe's eyes widened. "The Warp Wizard was here? As in the previous Warp Wizard."
"Well no," Natai shrugged. "But he was here in the time of my grandfather and he always told stories of how his magic was pure time magic."
"Really? Cool." Joe said with a small smile.
He wanted to ask more questions about the Warp Wizard, but Fred stormed up to them and almost punched Natai in the face.
"Stop!" Joe called stretching his arm out.
Fred immediately froze. "Let me go Joe. This bastard deserves to get his butt kicked."
"Sorry." Jodie panted running up to them. "Once Fred saw Natai and Fina looking terrified, there was no stopping him."
"I apologize sincerely for the misunderstanding." Natai quaked in front of the furious Fred. "Please Warp Wizard, allow me to take you to our chief's hut to await his return. He can explain everything that's happened to our village."
"That sounds like a good idea." Joe nodded and turned to Fina. "Come on let's-"
"I'm sorry sir, but women aren't allowed in the chief's hut." Natai bowed and cast a wary look at Fred. "Perhaps she can stay behind with her husband?"
"He's not her husband." Joe, Fred, and Jodie said at the same time and they all flushed in embarrassment.
Joe released Fred and he gave Natai one last dirty look before going to Fina's side.
Jodie sighed and moved away. "Imma go... talk to people I guess."
"And I'll go with Natai and wait for the chief." Joe nodded to Fred. "Take care of Fina when I'm gone alright?"
"I will." Fred nodded.
Fina bit her lip anxiously as she watched Joe walk away with Natai. Fred sighed and gently touched Fina's arm. She looked up at him timidly and he gave her a small smile.
"Hey," He said softly. "Are you alright?"
"Yes." Fina's smile fell and she teared up. "No."
"Come on," Fred sighed and wrapped and arm protectively around her shoulders. "Let's go sit down somewhere. You're probably exhausted."
Fina leaned into his warm muscular arm as he led her a little ways away from everyone. The villagers were eying her suspiciously and her eyes brimmed with tears. She didn't remember much about her feral state, but she did remember feeling blinding rage. She hated feeling that way and felt disgusted with herself. Especially what she did to those men and Fred.
"It wasn't your fault." Fred said tightly. "Nothing was your fault."
Fina sat down on a fallen log and Fred sat down next to her. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm the one who should have protected you better. I should have been able to fight them off before they could put that stupid thing on you."
Fina touched his shoulder and found that it was damp. She looked at her hand and gasped when she saw blood.
"That wasn't you." Fred explained quickly. "I rushed out of the hut they had us tied up in trying to save you and Natai cut me with his spear."
"Let me heal it for you." Fina said softly.
Fred nodded and slipped off his shirt with a slight hiss of pain. Fina's eyes briefly took in his expansive muscles and quickly focused on the cut on his shoulder. Thank goodness it wasn't deep and the blood was starting to clot already. Fina laid her hand on top of it anyway. It took a minute for her to focus her energy, but eventually a warm, white light emanated from her palm and his cut healed.
She looked up to see him staring at her. That was when she noticed the bleeding claw marks on his cheek.
"I did do that." Fina whispered tearfully.
Fred gave her a small, lopsided smile. "Then I guess you better heal it then."
Fina smiled as he took her hand and gently laid it against his injured cheek. This time the healing magic worked faster, but she couldn't stop staring into his warm, beautiful gray-blue eyes long after the cuts healed. She blushed and started to take her hand away, but Fred grabbed her wrist and leaned into her hand.
"You know," Fred chuckled softly. "I was afraid I'd lost you, before I could officially ask you out."
"You'll never lose me, Fred." She whispered.
Fred smiled and his eyes drifted to her lips. Her heart beat tripled. He started to lean forward but Fina placed a hand on his chest to stop him.
"W-wait." Fina took in a shaky breath to still her heart. "Th-this isn't the right time for this. We're here for a reason and it's not this."
Fred sighed and moved away from her completely. "You're right. Sorry."
"It's fine." Fina said putting her hands in her lap.
"Ahem." They both looked up to see Jodie standing in front of them holding something in her arms. She held it up to show that it was a simple animal skin dress. "One of the women gave this to me to give to you. Since, you know, they tore up your dress and everything. She even said that you can change in her hut."
Fina stood and gave her a small bow. "Thank you, Jodie."
"Sure." Jodie sighed with a shrug. "Come on, I'll take you to where her hut is."
Without a another word Jodie led her to one of the huts where a woman was hanging up laundry. She nodded for Fina to go inside the hut to change. Jodie closed the door behind her and walked away.
Fina slipped off her dress and cringed. It looked like it had just come off of a horror movie all torn to shreds and spotted with her own blood. Her hair also probably looked a mess with the braids almost completely unraveling. So she rolled up her old dress into as small as a bundle as possible and slipped on the soft animal skin dress. She also completely undid her braids and shook her hair loose so that it fell around her shoulders and down her back.
When she stepped out the hut Jodie was no where to be found and neither was Fred. She quickly discarded the dress in the jungle and went to see if she could find Joe. She came to the end of the village where she saw a large hut decorated with strange symbols. A few of them she recognized like the time keeper symbol, but others she didn't. The hut was guarded by two mean holding spears and shields.
Joe? She called out with her mind. Are you in there?
There was no answer for a few minutes and then she heard his voice in her head. Yeah... just give second Fina.
Joe came out of the hut after a while and grabbed her hand.
"Come on," he said pulling her towards the hut. "I might need your help understanding what the chief is telling me."